[Buddha-l] Zen War Guilt/Zen and the Sword

[d f tweney]

At the risk of veering off-topic, I am wondering whether anyone has 
considered older, Chinese connections between Buddhism and military / 
state power. It seems clear that the kinds of militarization of Zen that 
happened in Japan also happened in China, perhaps at a very early stage. 
For instance, even a passing acquaintance with Chinese martial arts 
reveals abundant connections between Buddhism and the martial arts (cf. 
Shaolin temple), many of which were employed in decidedly non-peaceful 
ways.

The problem is that many of these connections are obviously mythologized 
to a high degree, and I don't have the scholarly expertise to figure out 
what has some basis in historical fact and what doesn't. I'd welcome 
pointers to any good sources on the subject.

At any rate, my point is that fusing Buddhism and militarism may not be a 
strictly Japanese invention.

--dylan.

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Dylan Tweney    dylan at tweney.com

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